USCCA Firearms & Self-Defense Blog
Guns & Gear
Read no-holds-barred reviews of both personal- and home-defense firearms and stay up-to-date on the latest concealed carry gear offerings on the market. Discover everything you need to know to select the best, tried-and-true self-defense gear — from holsters, knives and ammunition to flashlights, first-aid kits and alternate weapons.
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BP380CC: Spec’d Out for Fun
Bersa’s polymer .380 concealed carry pistol could replace your plinker as the fun gun in your arsenal. At the same time, it can be a legit concealed carry gun as well. How so? A formula based on the…
Continue Reading →Flint River Armory CSA45: Short Piston .45 ACP AR-Style Carbine
Starting in the mid-1980s, semi-automatic pistol-caliber carbines became quite popular, particularly in law enforcement circles. While Colt AR-15s were available, most law enforcement agencies didn’t…
Continue Reading →Colt 1903 Hammerless Review: Rebirth of a Warrior
I first saw the prototype of the Colt 1903 Hammerless General Officer’s Pocket Pistol at the Colt booth at a recent NRA Convention. I was taken with this elegant, all-steel defensive pistol from a…
Continue Reading →Kershaw Barstow: Unique Folding Dagger for Special-Purpose Needs
Dagger: A dagger is a knife with a very sharp point and one or more sharp edges. Typically designed or capable of being used as a thrusting or stabbing weapon. Daggers have been used throughout human…
Continue Reading →UkoalaBag: A Creative Concealed Carry Option
I accidentally stumbled upon the UkoalaBag a few years ago, and it’s probably one of the best “accidents” ever. I have a fondness for Steampunk gear, and I happened to notice a post on Facebook about…
Continue Reading →S&W M&P .45 ACP Shield Review: Range Report
Back in July of 2016 (then updated again in 2021), I reviewed the Smith & Wesson Performance Center M&P 9mm Shield pistol. Compact, reliable, easy to shoot, priced right and chambered for the 9mm…
Continue Reading →El Paso Sky Six Concealment Holster: Classic Construction, Versatile Design
Although you might be getting tired of me writing about it by now, the Bond Arms Bullpup 9 has given me an opportunity to work with holster designs that I don’t necessarily seek out for more commonly…
Continue Reading →Guns That Should Never Go Away
Some guns — such as this Taurus 650 — should never go away. It should always be available and everybody ought to have one in their collection. It’s just too practical and useful not to have. I’ll bet…
Continue Reading →The Failure-to-Fire Drill (Simulation Featuring BarrelBlok)
This week’s video is a little different than our normal Tactical Tuesday training segment. Instead of focusing on a specific set of skills, we look at a new dry-fire training tool, the BarrelBlok. We…
Continue Reading →Why I Love the Colt Defender
Every now and then I tire of plastic, single-stack nines and go for this aluminum alloy-framed Colt Defender. It’s 1911 thin — always has been — and weighs only 24 ounces unloaded. Loading it with…
Continue Reading →Is Your Barrel Blocked?
We here at the USCCA continue to promote dry-fire training and we always stress safety when training without ammo. It takes just a second for an unloaded gun to become a loaded gun and that’s when…
Continue Reading →The DeSantis Mini Scabbard: Minimal Size with Maximum Function
Ever since I’ve had the Bond Arms Bullpup 9 to work with, I have been searching for additional holsters for this outstanding concealed carry arm. Even though it fits in holsters designed for the…
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